


A (Second) First Meeting

by a-blog-against-team-cap (MyaAni)



Series: IronStrange Week 2018 [1]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Ironstrange Week 2018, M/M, One-Shot, One-sided IronStrange, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 05:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14664159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyaAni/pseuds/a-blog-against-team-cap
Summary: Stephen rescued a plastered Tony from a charity gala eleven years ago. Eleven years later, he's still pining, and Tony doesn't remember a thing. But now he needs Tony's help to save the universe from the biggest threat yet known: Thanos.





	A (Second) First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Waddup ya'll, this is for IronStrange Week 2018, Day 1 (First Meeting). To find out more, check it out [here](http://ironstrangehq.tumblr.com).

Stephen Strange paused, mentally preparing himself for the challenge immediately at hand. Sighing, he opened the portal and stepped through, a number of thoughts running amuck in his mind. Centering primarily on the fact that this might not be the best way to make a second impression. Especially when the one being impressed upon was blacked out drunk in their first meeting, rendering their memories unreliable at best, and missing in all likelihood.  


“Tony Stark? I’m Doctor Stephen Strange. I need you to come with me.” he said. A moment passed. Tony appeared, at best, openly hostile. Stephen internally winced, trying to make up for the insensitivity. He forced out a “And congratulations on the wedding, by the way.” The air was uncomfortably still for a second, hearing only the slight woosh of the gateway spinning behind him, before Tony finally spoke.  


“I’m sorry, you giving out tickets or something?” The annoyance in Tony’s voice almost turned the air solid as he spoke. Stephen marveled at him, and at the drastic change that eleven years had made. It had been a while since that charity gala, and far too much had happened. Tony was a long way from the man-child drinking his way through his thirties that he had been. Careless. Perpetually drunk. On the border of outright self-harm. Stephen couldn’t see a single trace of the man Tony had been. Remembering that he had to reply, he scrambled for words.  


“We need your help.” Strange countered Tony with his own delicate pause, “Look, it’s not overselling it to say that the fate of the universe is at stake.” In his head, Stephen rolled his eyes at himself. Tony was much more forthcoming, actually spinning his cold brown eyes around in their sockets. He still carried within himself a sort of stand-offish air. Pepper reached for his arm subconsciously, as if to selfishly hold him back from leaving.  


“And who’s we?” Tony demanded. Right. Stephen should think more about what he was saying, and less about the night he took Tony home. Thankfully, he was saved from having to say anything more by Banner, who stepped out of the still-open portal behind him.  


“Hey, Tony.” Stephen felt a stab of unwarranted jealousy at the obvious emotion swelling on Tony’s face. It’s not like him taking care of a drunk-off-his-face Tony meant anything, right? There must’ve been hundreds of people to do that during that year alone. And it’s not like it had mattered enough for Tony to stay, not even to say goodbye. When Stephen had woken from the couch at 8:30 that morning and checked his bedroom, where he had left Tony, he found only rumpled sheets and the scent of alcohol.  


His revere was broken by Tony once more, “Bruce?” he said, almost as if he couldn’t believe that someone had come back to him. Stephen wanted to contradict that, to say that he had come back, after one meeting, but after eleven years. But to be frank with himself, that didn’t mean anything. Not to Tony, at least.  


Tony continued, asking Bruce, “You okay?” A question, innocently phrased, concealing the underlying sentiment of “You must not be, otherwise why would you come back to me?” Bruce stumbled forward, wrapping his arms around Tony, clinging close. Stephen’s fingertips ached, and though he brushed it off as residual trauma from that accursed car accident, he knew that it’s his own special brand of messed up; his body’s way of reminding him of carrying Tony out of the gala, unconscious in his arms.  


Eventually Bruce let go of Tony’s shoulders, and stepped back towards the portal. Tony turned towards Pepper, and pressed a kiss to her lips. Stephen felt the envy within him grow all the stronger, and he turned around, and walked stiffly back through the circle of energy, turning and waiting for Tony to follow, trying to erase the memory of the day that was.

**Author's Note:**

> If you're wondering what happened eleven years ago, this is my succulent summary from my plot notes:
> 
> "They met before at a party back in tony’s drunk days. Charity gala for something or another, Stephen a Very Rich Doctor™, tony drunk upon arrival, got even more plastered over the next few hours. Later, Stephen took tony home to his house. Tony woke up hungover as hell and remembering nothing, stumbled out of there figuring he had a one night stand. Called Happy to pick him up, pulled a flask of some Not Good Shit out of his pocket, already drinking again.
> 
> Why was tony so drunk? Hated everything he was, everything that Howard had made him, just wanted the hell out. Couldn’t care less what happened to him, highkey wanted to drink himself to death asap"
> 
> If you guys think I should write that, let me know down below! I'm very unreliable, so I might not do it, but y'know. Encouragement helps. I also could write sequels in other IronStrange scenes from IW? Let me know what you want!


End file.
